Tag Archives: simon marshall-jones

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Remember a while back we told you that Spectral Press owner/editor-in-chief Simon Marshall-Jones would be having his debut collection of short stories published soon? Well, we can tell you that Biblia Longcrofta will be released into the multiverses on June 30th 2015 and that you can order copies if you so desire from HERE. In the meantime, feast your eyes on the splendiferous Jim Burns cover shown above….

“Biblia Longcrofta by Simon Marshall-Jones, publisher and editor at award-nominated Spectral Press, is a series of connected short fiction stories, semi-autobiographical in nature, set in the imaginary town of Longcroft. Although it has no precise geographical location in the ‘real’ world, nevertheless it is located somewhere on the northern coastline of Britain. It exists contemporaneously and separately in a different time stream from the rest of the world, the reasons for the split lost in the mists of time.

It is no ordinary town, however – here miracles happen on an everyday basis, and the numinous and marvellous sit side-by-side with the banal and mundane. Into this wonderland comes a tattooed stranger called Simeon, a man bored of his old life, but still unsure of what his place in the world is, who he is, and what purpose he has. Through a series of connected incidents, he comes to understand the world around him, and the person he is. Along the way he meets wonders and living myths and, through interacting with them, he finds his true destiny – however, it’s not what he was expecting nor what he would have chosen for himself.”

Simon will also be happy to sign copies for anyone who asks – we will have copies for sale here as well. Contact Simon at spectralpress[AT]gmail[DOT]com for payment details.

We are immensely pleased to announce that Paul Meloy will be joining the roster of Theatrum Mundi with a novella, called Junction Creature, the first of a series set in the same universe. If any of you subscribe to Black Static then you will have read his Reclamation Yard contribution in #40 of that magazine. In fact, the story called Junction Creature is mentioned the Black Static story, in a neat twist of meta-fictionalising. Paul’s novella will be available towards the end of next year, but we’re already looking forward to it.

Not only does Simon edit fiction, but he also writes it. His debut collection of short science-fiction/contemporary fantasy/magico-fantastic realist stories, Biblia Longcrofta. will be published by Tickety Boo Press on April 30th 2015, and features an introduction by Steven Savile and cover artwork by esteemed and very well-known artist Jim Burns (see image above). The huge vessel seen in the image is featured in one of the stories, and Simon avers that Jim has captured its bulk and immensity absolutely perfectly. Copies are available to preorder, available in limited hardback in handmade wooden box (£75), normal hardback (£25), and paperback (£9.99). You can order them HERE or by emailing gary.compton@ticketyboopress.co.uk.

First, it is with great pleasure that we can announce that renowned anthology editor Ellen Datlow has chosen two stories from the First Spectral Book of Horror Stories for her The Best Horror of the Year Volume 7, due out later this year. The stories selected are Rio Youers’ Outside Heavenly and Alison Littlewood’s The Dog’s Home. Congratulations in particular to Rio and Alison, and also to all the other writers too!

The book is still available (order on the Paypal buttons below), and is chock full of excellent stories to thrill and chill. Buy your copy today!

£12.50 UK

£15 EU

$30 US & RoW

RICOCHET by Tim Dry

This novella is selling very nicely, copies going out left, right, and centre. This is sure to be a popular title, so why not grab a copy today!

Tim Dry ans Simon Marshall-Jones talk “Ricochet”

Also, the author Tim Dry and the publisher Simon Marshall-Jones will be appearing on Nicholas Vince’s Book Club Google+ Hangout on 22nd March 2015 at 7pm and on Youtube shortly afterwards. More details can be found right HERE.

(In case you don’t know, Nicholas Vince played the Chatterer Cenobite in the Hellraiser films and Kinski in Nightbreed)

On this Monday morning, which is a Bank Holiday for us here in the UK, we present the final mini-interview of contributors to Spectral’s forthcoming The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, conducted by Angela Slatter. So, who’s the lucky person featured today? Well, it’s Simon Marshall-Jones, the erstwhile publisher/editor/El Presidente/Dictator for Life of Spectral itself. What does he have to say? Furthermore, will it make sense to anyone? To find out, go HERE.

We’ll follow that up with a new review of the volume, by Anthony Watson and posted to his Dark Musings blog – that one can be accessed HERE.

This is going to be a very special anthology, so we really do encourage you to pre-order your copy today of this first volume in a projected annual series – ordering buttons below (if you want to pay by any other means, please contact us at spectralpress[AT]gmail[DOT]com and we’ll happily send you details). All prices are INCLUSIVE of postage and packing:

£12.50 UK

FOR THOSE ATTENDING FANTASYCON 2014 YOU CAN ORDER AT THE SPECIAL PRICE BELOW AND PICK IT UP AT THE CONVENTION VENUE.

FCon 2014 Special £10

£15 EU

$30 US & RoW

NEWS

Don’t forget that we have a new website, which is now live and ready to use. It features a shop, from which it is easier to order books and accessories, and even has a swish postage calculation system which will work out how much postage and packing you should pay. Aside from that, there will also be the usual news and reviews, plus plenty of other material for you to read and digest. Sign up today to be alerted to new posts and other stuff. The URL is https://www.spectralpress.co.uk/

From tomorrow, both here and on the new website, we will be celebrating the life of JOEL LANE: BLACK COUNTRY PROPHET, the writer who sadly died last year at the far-too-young age of 50. Allen Ashley asked various writers and figures in the genre to choose their favourite stories of his and to write a brief introduction explaining why they chose that particular story, to be followed by the story itself. The first entry will be introduced by legendary editor/anthologiser Stephen Jones. Look out for it.

Just a very quick blog this morning, in order to show you the full cover to the very first volume in what is hoped to become an annual series. The cover artwork is by Vincent Chong, and the layout created by John Oakey. We are enormously excited about this one – pre-order your copy TODAY!

This is going to be THEanthology of the year, so we really do encourage you to pre-order your copy today of this first in an annual series – ordering buttons below (if you want to pay by any other means, please contact us at spectralpress[AT]gmail[DOT]com and we’ll happily send you details). All prices INCLUDE postage and packing:

£12.50 UK

FOR THOSE ATTENDING FANTASYCON 2014 YOU CAN ORDER AT THE SPECIAL PRICE BELOW AND PICK IT UP AT THE CONVENTION VENUE.

FCon 2014 Special £10

£15 EU

$30 US & RoW

Also, over at TeleRead, there’s a short interview with Simon Marshall-Jones, Mr. Spectral himself, which can be found HERE.

In a change to the scheduled programming, instead of promoting publications from Spectral, we would like to point you in the direction of a charity anthology called The Unspoken. It’s edited by Willie Meikle and has been published by Karoshi Books. In case you’re wondering, it’s an anti-cancer anthology, with proceeds going to cancer research charities. Why are we telling you about this? Simply because it is full of some of the best writers around, plus Simon Marshall-Jones, the editor of Spectral, has provided the cover painting (image above) – just take a look at this:

“Cancer is a monster. It hides, it lurks, and it pounces when you think it’s down and defeated. In these 17 stories, established horror writers take the attack to the beast, fighting it the only way they know how.

First, here’s a little article about Peter Cushing and Stephen Volk’s Whitstable that appeared yesterday at Gef Fox’s Wag the Fox blog, written by Simon Marshall-Jones of Spectral. The article gives an insight into the actor and why Stephen wrote the novella, as well as what drives the narrative. You can read the piece here.

As many of you will know, this year will see the publication of This Spectral Season, a single volume gathering all eight chapbooks from Spectral’s first two years, together with some new material from each contributor. The volume will be available as an unlimited paperback and an eBook.. In addition to those, there will also be a very limited edition of TEN sets of all eight chapbooks in their original format, signed and presented in their own slipcase. The slipcases are hand-covered in red Wibalin cloth with the Spectral logo gold foil stamped on the spine, and the contents held in by a custom obi strip, printed on fine quality paper as befits such a piece. Publication date has yet to be set – but is most likely to be this summer. Watch out for further details!

Talking of slipcases, the standard ones are still available for order – black Wibalin cloth with the Spectral logo silver foil stamped on the spine. They are designed to keep all those lovely chapbooks pristine and in order, plus they look absolutely magnificent displayed on the bookshelf! Just pop on over to the Spectral Shop to buy one today!

Just a short blog this morning, to let you know of a slight change to the physical format of the hardback edition of the first Spectral Christmas Ghost Story Annual aka The 13 Ghosts of Christmas. It will now feature cloth boards in a fetching dark green, foil stamped titles in gold on front and spine, and wrapped in a full colour dustjacket – altogether a much more classy affair appropriate to the book itself. It will still have crimson endpapers and red silk bookmarker, and will still retail at the same price as before.

We are glad to report that two-thirds of the print run of the limited numbered hardback have already been claimed. If you are a fan of the ghost story, or know a friend or relative who is, this finely produced volume would make an ideal seasonal gift or stocking filler. Pre-order your copy today before they all disappear!

NOTE: The book will be available from mid-December – all orders will be sent to purchasers at that time!

All prices are inclusive of p+p.

£27.00 UK

40€ EU

$50.00 US & RoW

PLEASE NOTE: This is a very special edition of the annual, hence the prices, coupled with the rather high postage rates that have been decided by the powers-that-be at Royal Mail.

This morning Spectral Towers is completely fogbound – a fortuitously appropriate atmosphere in which, we deem, to reveal the eerily beautiful wraparound cover to The 13 Ghosts of Christmas anthology, due to be published this time next month. We think that the combination of Vincent Shaw-Morton’s and Neil Williams’ talents have created yet another winner here. So, ladies and gentlemen, please feast your ocular orbs on this beauteous wonder!

We are also pleased to report that sales of the book are very steady, and has generated quite a bit of interest and buzz across the electronic universe. Copies are still available, but stocks are dwindling fast, so please get your orders in now as it’s sure to sell out, and we think it would be an absolute shame if you missed out on it. The limited, numbered hardback edition is available on pre-order now, wrapped in that gorgeous cover shown above, with gold foil stamped titles on front and spine. It also features an introduction by Johnny Mains, and there will also be red endpapers (suitably festive) and a silk ribbon bookmarker to set things off nicely. Edition size 100 numbered copies only, of which more than half have been claimed already – so get ordering now!

All prices are inclusive of p+p.

£27.00 UK

40€ EU

$50.00 US & RoW

PLEASE NOTE: This is a very special edition of the annual, hence the prices, coupled with the rather high postage rates that have been decided by the powers-that-be at Royal Mail.

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Spectral Press

Publisher, on a quarterly basis, of very limited edition signed and numbered single story chapbooks in a quality presentation, and devoted to ghostly/supernatural tales. Also publishes regular novellas and a Christmas Ghost Story Annual every December.

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